


Suffocating

by ladykatie603



Category: Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain
Genre: Brain, Brain isn’t good at comforting, Drowning, Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, I Hope This Is Okay, Pain, Panic Attack, Pinky - Freeform, Pinky and the Brain - Freeform, Science Experiments, Vomiting, brain tries to comfort pinky, suffocating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27732853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladykatie603/pseuds/ladykatie603
Summary: Pinky is used for a difficult experiment and Brain isn’t having it. Basically I found out about a chemical called perfluorocarbon that can allow an air breathing mammal to breathe in it. They needed to test it on living subjects so unfortunately they tested it on living lab mice which gave me this idea.
Relationships: Brain & Pinky (Animaniacs), Brain/Pinky (Pinky and the Brain)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 302





	Suffocating

Pinky and Brain woke to scuffling around the lab. The scientists were setting up some new experiment. Pinky went to his morning routine, running on the mouse wheel and giggling with delight, while Brain watched attentively and listened to the humans discuss their newest experiment. 

“Maybe we should use Pinky for this one, Brain’s lungs aren’t quite as developed because of the gene splicing and he could just drown instead of getting the research results we need.” 

The other scientist nodded. “I agree but we usually don’t use Pinky for physically strenuous tests, what if he can’t take it?” A third scientist who was measuring a sample of liquid chimed in. “He can take it, we’ve put him through worse recently and he took it just fine. If all goes well, he’ll be in and out in 10 minutes.” 

Both the scientists nodded and continued with prep while Brain’s insides squirmed. What were they planning to do with Pinky? What could possibly be so risky that they wouldn’t use him? They always used him for the more...harmful experiments. Never Pinky, though Brain let him think they alternated and shared the bad ones, he usually took the particularly difficult tests. Brain padded over to Pinky, and clears his throat. Pinky turns his attention away from the wheel and notices the look on Brains face. He hops down from the wheel and walks over. 

“What’s wrong Brain? Bad dream?” The end of his sentence punctuated with a narf. Brain shakes his head. “No you....” He sighed, he didn’t have the heart to call him an idiot today, not right now. “How about I take today’s experiment Pinky, you deserve a break.” Pinky snorted and whispered a small Poit! “Oh Brain, I’m sure it won’t be bad! Besides you took yesterdays remember?” Brain wrung his hands and opened his mouth to respond when the scientists hand shot into the cage and grabbed Pinky. “Pinky!!” Brain ran to the side of the cage facing the experiment and watched as Pinky was carried to his destination, completely unaware of the danger this experiment held. 

The third scientist flicked on the camera and began to speak about the liquid, he called it Perfluorocarbon and claimed an air breathing mammal could breathe in it. As soon as they began to lower Pinky to the substance, he realized what was happening. He looked at Brain with big fearful eyes as he was plunged beneath the surface of the thick clear liquid. Brain shouted to his friend as he fought the bars, watching helplessly as Pinky struggled beneath the surface of the liquid. After a few moments of panic, Pinky became limp and lay motionless suspended in the jar. Brain felt his knees wobble threatening to give way, he stared with bated breath waiting for the steady rise and fall of Pinky’s chest. Sure Pinky was annoying and loud and obnoxious and ... he was a lot of things but the last thing Brain wanted was to lose his best friend to some stupid experiment. 

A few silent moments pass before, Brain is able to see signs of life. Pinky’s chest was rising and falling, albeit very slowly and sporadically, and Brain released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He quickly wiped the tears he could not control from his cheeks and watched carefully for what seemed like ages until suddenly Pinky’s eyes snapped open. All three scientists were now talking about the implications of the success of the experiment but it was all background noise for Brain as he watched Pinky’s breathing. His breaths appeared to be gasping rather than normal breathing, but the scientists seemed happy with the results. The scientists wrapped up their video by pulling Pinky from the liquid and showing him to the camera before tossing him unceremoniously into a separate cage and walking back to his station to document his results. Pinky lie on the floor of the cage, soaked to the bone, writhing and gasping for air that he just could not seem to get into his lungs. 

Brain ran to the side of his cage and tried to reach Pinky through the bars. He knew he could open the door to their shared cage easily, but the new one looked better and the lock looked newer, and if he tried he would attract the humans attention, putting them both in more danger. 

“Pinky! Pinky can you hear me?” Pinky continued to gasp and writhe, his eyes full of tears and wide with fear. “B...Brain? H...help me...” He then flipped onto all fours and wretched up all the liquid that he had consumed in the process, before collapsing again in a fit of coughs and gasps. 

Brain tentatively placed a paw on the door, contemplating opening it to get to Pinky when a second scientist came over and took Pinky again, who was no longer moving. Brain assumed he passed out, he hoped he passed out. The scientist proceeded to dry the unconscious mouse and gently rub his back, helping the remaining liquid to settle. Then the first scientist took Pinky and set him down on the table, waiting for him to wake up. It took a bit of poking and prodding but he woke quickly, the fear Brain hated to see still bright in his eyes, but his breathing returned to normal and when he seemed to calm down the scientists flipped the camera back on and finished their documentation of the experiment. 

The scientist placed him back into his and Brain’s shared caged and all three headed into another room. Pinky lay on the floor, curled into a tight ball, half buried in the wood chips, whimpering. “Pinky?” Brain approached tentatively, and placed a paw on Pinky’s shoulder. Pinky immediately flinched away and tightened his hold on his legs. 

“Oh Pinky. I tried to warn you...I knew they were going to do something particularly unethical today.” All he received was a soft narf as an answer. Brain stepped over Pinky carefully and sat in front of him so he could see his face. 

Brain was never good with comfort, Pinky was the one who usually helped him through a particularly strenuous test, but Pinky clearly needed some kind of comforting. Brain placed an unsure paw on Pinky’s clenched fist and used his other arm to carefully pull Pinky’s head into his lap. Pinky’s whimpers were replaced with silent tears as he unclenched his fist and held Brain’s hand tightly and snuggled into his lap. He was asleep a few moments later, leaving Brain alone with his thoughts. 

How dare they! How dare they do that to Pinky! His poor innocent, friend who wouldn’t hurt a fly subjected to this torture. He can handle the prodding, the needles, the pain, and trauma but he would not allow this to happen again. Never again. 

Pinky shifted in his sleep and his head lolled to the right just enough for Brain to see his face clearly. He looked so peaceful, so unlike he was a few moments ago, the image of him floating motionless in the water and writhing on the cage floor burned into his memory. The sound of his panicked calls echoing in his mind as the door creaked open. One of the scientists stepped in and headed towards the cage. Brain tensed, prepared to do what he had to to protect his friend as the scientist approached. She had a sort of guilty look in her eyes as she opened the cage door. 

“Here, for the trouble they caused.” Brain recognized this scientist as the one who had dried Pinky off and helped him breathe a little better. He looked at her with suspicion and tightened his grip on Pinky’s paw, giving her a sort of protective glare. She sighed and turned to leave, shaking her head. Brain shifted so he could get a closer look at what she left them, it was a pile of fresh veggies as a treat. 

“Pathetic, you put us through endless torment and all we get in return is subpar vegetables. When I take over the world, this place will be demolished first.” Brain slowly drifted into a nightmare filled sleep, full of images of the past hour and ideas for the nights plan. 

__________________________________________

Pinky woke with a start, the feeling of water filling his lungs still subsiding. He didn’t remember falling asleep, much less in Brains lap. Narf he must’ve really scared him, Brain never cared this much. He gently lifted Brain onto their bed of wood chips and placed him down. Pinky looked out the window and saw it was dark, Troz! They were usually trying to take over the world right about now, maybe they’d get to do it with cheese this time! 

*I like cheese, maybe I can find some in the humans fridge* Pinky opened the door to their cage and jumped down to the floor and scurried over to the little fridge in the corner. He popped it open how Brain had showed him and grabbed a small piece of cheese from a plate. 

*Tv would be a nice distraction. I can still feel the slimy liquid going down my throat...water! I need water!* Pinky hopped over to the tap and switched it on, the sound of water hitting the sink pounding in his ears. 

“Zort....that kinda looks like...” Pinky jumped away from the water, covering his ears, gasping for air. “It’s not the slimy stuff it’s not the slimy stuff it’s not the......” He took a deep breath and switched the water back off. Maybe he didn’t need water right now. *I wonder what Brain is thinking about. I wonder what I’m thinking about. Troz I’m thinking about what Brain is thinking about! Does that mean I’m pondering what he’s pondering? I wonder if he’s dreaming about the world. Santa brings gifts to the whole world. I dream about Santa a whole lot. I wonder what I’ll get for Christmas this year. I hope Santa’s doing okay, I should write him a letter. Or maybe Mrs. Claus she never gets letters...hehe Narf!* 

Pinky hopped up to the TV on the counter and switched it on, drowning out his thoughts with mindless entertainment. How long he had been there, Pinky didn’t know but after a while he heard a shuffling from their cage. He turned and saw Brain was stirring. Brain’s eyes snapped open and his mouth opened as if contemplating a yell of some sort that never left his lips. He closed his mouth and frantically looked around him, his eyes landing on Pinky. His eyes calmed upon seeing his friend, unharmed and seemingly back to normal. Pinky jumped down from his perch on the counter and ran to the cage. 

“Good Morning Brain!” Brain rubbed his eyes tiredly. “It’s the middle of the night Pinky.” Pinky looked out the window again. “Oh! So it is! Narf! Good middle of the night then Brain!” Brain rolled his eyes but the edges of his lips quirked up in a bit of a smile. “How’re you feeling Pinky?” He pauses and looks at the floor a moment. “I was really worried about you.” Pinky snorted. “I’d say! I woke up with my head in your lap! Imagine that!” Brain raised an eyebrow and met eyes with Pinky, who immediately looked at the ground. “You’re avoiding the question Pinky.” 

Pinky’s smile faltered as he examined his feet. The feeling of the liquid and the choking hit him full force as he remembered why he had started watching TV in the first place. *Don’t think about it, anything else! Think about anything else, Brain doesn’t need this. He needs to see me strong a-and positive, I’ve been through worse. I’m sure I have. I’m sure he has. Oh dear what has he been through? What has he not told me? What have those humans done to him? What...* 

“Pinky! Pinky are you alright? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up so soon after! I should’ve known there would be repercussions.” Pinky looked up? At Brain. When did he fall to the floor, he was standing a moment ago? Pinky pushed himself off the ground and brushed off himself and plasters his signature smile back onto his face, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“I’m fine Brain, sorry. My mind was wondering as always! Narf!” Brain stands there bewildered. “You are most certainly not fine Pinky! You were having some kind of breakdown!” Brain was livid, not only had Pinky just collapsed right in front of him, but those stupid humans did this to him. He wanted to take over the world to make it better for all, but right now he wanted to do it just to make those scientists pay. 

“Brain please calm down, I’m alright. Really! I just need a tick to process everything that’s all. Didn’t mean to collapse on you. Besides, those people can’t do anything worse than that to me! So I’ll be fine, you don’t need to worry!” Brain was completely taken aback. How was he taking this so well? He nearly died and he was treating it like it happened every other day! Was he smart enough to know that Brain was hoping he would be strong through this? 

“Pinky you nincompoop, take this seriously! You could’ve died! Don’t you understand that? Does that not get through your thick skull?!” Pinky stared at Brain, tears welling up in his eyes and anger on the edge of his features. “Of course I get it Brain! OF COURSE I get that I could’ve died as my lungs filled with gooey liquid and I felt like I was drowning and I couldn’t breathe anymore and...and....” Pinky kept his breathing steady and continued. 

“But I can’t let it overwhelm me Brain, because if I do, it’ll change my head. The way I look at things, at least the humans learned something right? And maybe they won’t do it again! Maybe that’s all they needed, was to see if it would work.” Brain shook his head as tears threatened to spill. 

“But Pinky, what if they do it again? What if they put you through that again? What if they do it again and again and again?” Pinky huffed and crossed his arms. “Then they learn something new every time and I’m helping. You’re being narfing ridiculous Brain! If they keep doing it, I’ll get used to it won’t I?” Brain slammed his fist into the wall. 

“OR You’ll get so much Perfluorocarbon in your lungs and you’ll DIE PINKY! HOW are you not GETTING this?” Brain looks at the floor, holding his fist tightly to his body. 

“I Don’t want to lose you Pinky, you’re the only real friend I have.” The last bit comes out in such a quiet whisper Pinky had to strain to hear it. It takes a second but it registers and Pinky steps forward and engulfs Brain in a hug, lifting him off the ground. 

“You shouldn’t be the one comforting me Pinky. I should be comforting you.” Pinky laughed. “You’ve never been good at that Brain, poit.” Brain huffs out a laugh. “I suppose you’re right.” Pinky places Brain back on the ground and rocks in place. He raises his eyebrows at Brain and smiles. Brain chuckles a bit and gestures him to go on. 

“So Brain....what’re we gonna do tonight?” Brain perks up at this familiar, warm catchphrase. “Same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world!”


End file.
